APW Summer Professional Development

They could have been sitting by the pool reading a book or relaxing at a cabin in the mountains. Instead, several teachers chose to spend part of their summer with Arizona Project WET (APW), deepening their water content knowledge to share with students this coming school year.

 

The first teacher academy, Explore the Colorado River, sponsored by Central Arizona Project (CAP), was two fact-filled days about the Colorado River. Teachers learned about its huge watershed, the history of the Colorado River Compact, how dendrochronology (or tree-ring dating) helps us look at past regional weather patterns, and future impacts from shortages in the river system. It was jam-packed with lots of information, including a guest speaker from CAP. A participant wrote “Thank you so much for all the great materials, information and experiences! It was a pleasure to go through this workshop!”

 

Water Solutions: Past, Present, and Future, APW's second teacher professional development, was a 5-day academy sponsored by Salt River Project (SRP). Guest speakers and field trips kept teachers engaged and busy learning all about the history and management of SRP. One teacher shared “This was one of the best week-long trainings I’ve attended. So many great activities and field trips.” Another teacher said “Thank you for this great opportunity and new learning experience. Please continue to inspire people and teachers. The brand-new lessons and knowledge will help me support my instruction when teaching students.”

 

For the third professional development of the summer, The Aqua STEM program was completely revamped, and newer lessons were shared with educators. Teachers discovered how to use Systems Thinking, a framework for deepening student thinking, in their classrooms. Day-long workshops were also taught on the Waters of Arizona and Riparian Field Investigations.

 

APW's final workshop of the summer, AZ Agriculture/Water Nexus 2022, is being held in conjunction with the WRRC’s 2022 Annual Conference. It will look at the important link between water and our agricultural food and fiber industry, taking into consideration our current state of drought.